Former rebel turned AFP intel chief Victor Corpus dies at 79

Former AFP Intelligence Service Chief Victor Corpus (PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK)

MANILA, Philippines — Victor Corpus, a former rebel turned chief of the military intelligence service and an author, has died at the age of 79, his niece,  Jennies Cruz, announced on her Facebook page.

The cause of death was not disclosed.

“Rest In Peace Tito Vic,” Cruz said in her post. “No more pain. You are now in a better place with our Lord.”

Cruz also asked for prayers for Corpus’ loved ones. “We value your prayers among anything else,” she said.

Corpus defected to the New People’s Army (NPA) on Dec. 29, 1970, and led the Maoist insurgent’s raid on the Philippine Military Academy’s armory.

He surrendered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on July 14, 1976, and then spent several years in a military prison before being reinstated in the Army as a reserve officer in 1987 through the order of then-President Corazon Aquino.

Afterwards, he held various posts in the AFP in the 1990s before being appointed chief of the Intelligence Service of the AFP under then-President Gloria Arroyo.

Corpus authored the book “Silent War” published on January 1, 1989, which tackled the government’s counterinsurgency efforts against the NPA.

READ: Internal war

The introduction of “Silent War” states: “It is the first book ever written on insurgency by a member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines based on his own inside view of the enemy.”

On January 1, 2009, Corpus also wrote “America’s Dim Mak Points: Unrestricted Warfare in the 21st Century.”

Corpus’ life was also the basis of the eponymous biographical film titled “Operation: Get Victor Corpus” released in 1987.